Page 54 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

She strutted to the leg press, set her weights and climbed on. He went to the chest press and did the same, got to work and tried to pretend that he didn’t spend half the night up with a stiff dick after their teasing texts.

They worked out for another twenty minutes each, moving around the gym, him returning her grin half the time.

If Saturday night hadn’t happened, this would be nothing more than what they’d done before.

Maybe that was how she wanted to play it. To pretend it didn’t happen.

She’d had a few glasses of wine. Could be she just got looser during that time.

“So,” she said when she finished up, was wiping the sweat from her neck, and standing next to him. “Lunch today? Or are you busy? My parents left this morning. We got together with my Uncle Michael and Aunt Lacy, along with my cousins and the kids and my brother. One of those last-minute things that seems to happen after an event.”

Okay, guess maybe he was reading more into her silence yesterday.

Why did it have to seem this hard?

“Sure, I can do lunch. Where do you want to meet?”

It was only eleven now. He planned on going home to shower and change; she always did the same.

“How about McKay’s?” she said. “It’s about ten minutes from here, the middle of the island. Should be pretty quiet on a Monday afternoon. It’s a popular spot in the family.”

“Noon?” he asked.

“That works.” She walked back to the women’s locker room, his eyes on her ass. Then he caught himself and looked away, getting the hell out of here.

An hour later, they met up in the parking lot, just like they always seemed to do.

She was in baggy jeans, sneakers, a fitted white shirt and a purple vest over it. Not one of those puffy ones, but nylon, athletic. Like she was having fun just torturing him with her body.

“You said you come here often?”

“Not as often as Sandy’s Cafe, but my cousins, they came here more when they were single. One of those places. Not to pick up women, but just a place with great food. Mac Bond, he’s the Chief of Police, his wife, Sidney, used to be a bartender here. That is how they met.”

He opened the door for her, held it there while she walked in and followed behind.

They were seated, menus placed down, then the hostess walked away. Gabriela put her chin in her palms and stared at him.

“What?” he asked.

“I guess I have to bring it up.”

So much for them pretending it didn’t happen.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, you want to play that way? I mean, it was fun playing the other night.”

The wink she sent told him to relax now. It wasn’t a mistake. She remembered what she’d done.

Luca just didn’t know what it all meant.

“It was.” He picked up the glass of water that had been filled before the hostess left and took a sip. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk about it.”

“I’ll talk about anything,” she said. “You know, that’s how you get to challenge someone.”

He gulped. She’d had more practice than him for sure.

“I’m kind of rusty here and don’t want to come off like an ass.”